Middle-Earth Meets Modern-Earth
by Raikana Sakaro
Summary: This has probably been done before, but I haven't seen it, so I'm doing it. Tolkien makes it sound as if LOTR happened on Earth a long time ago. What if some of the characters (and races) came back to battle some new evil?
1. Discoveries

**Title:**Middle-Earth Meets Modern-Earth

**Disclaimers:**I own nothing except for some papers and toys and pencils that I use to write these fanfic stories. And the computer. Can't forget the computer. And I don't use the toys to write the stories, but they're all I own besides my paper, pencils and computer.

**Note:** Another LOTR fiction. I didn't want to go through all hundred-and-some-odd pages of LOTR fics to see if it had been done, so I'll just do it. Also, this is based on the fact that Tolkien makes it sound like the LOTR books really took place here, on Earth, a looooong time ago, so that is my assumption in this story. ::tries to stop writing silly and/or bad stories, but can't:: Also my first story in first-person POV. Also my first real insertion fic.

Middle-Earth Meets Modern-Earth 

      I sit in my plain little room, reading the "Lord of the Rings" books. I am currently thinking about Legolas, as I often am. I wish, not for the first time, that he was real. I have seen the movie once and only once, not actually having any money to go see it again. I must content myself with the books. I look out the window behind me and see that it is a nice warm day out. I drag myself off the bed and decide to go for a walk, to think about Elves. I stuff the book into my pocket before heading outside and enjoying the crisp air of the early spring day.

      I walk to a small field near my house. Very small with a hill at one end and trees all about. I sigh contentedly as I walk around in the tall grass thinking about Elves and Legolas in particular. Who knew blond hair could be so attractive? I wish I could climb trees and shoot arrows just like he does, but know I will never be able to. Nevertheless, I decide to walk in the trees, perhaps even try my luck at climbing one.

      With my copy of "The Two Towers" firmly in my pocket I approach a tree and try to climb it. I fail miserably and fall several feet to land on my behind. I hear a squeak and think that I disturbed some kind of mouse. I get to my knees and scramble away behind another tree. Imagine my surprise when a fairly good-sized piece of ground lifts. It's a door! I stay silent and watch as a small, shaggy head pops up and looks about. Soon, the rest of it follows. A short, plump man with no shoes and hairy feet comes out. My eyes widen as I take him in. He is wearing breeches, a shirt, a vest, and a jacket. He is soon followed by a woman of about the same height and build. She's wearing a house dress in a floral print with a white apron fastened around her waist.

      They close the door and sit under the tree. The man takes his pipe out and starts blowing smoke-rings contentedly. The woman sits next to the man and works on some knitting. I recognize these people! Well, sort of. They're Hobbits! I gasp in excitement as I realize what I have just discovered. The Hobbits look my way and realize that there is someone watching. They quickly open up the door and scramble back down inside it. I look around and take not of where I am. Just to make sure I can find it again, I take on of my shoelaces and tie it around the highest branch of the tree I can reach. hopefully, the Hobbits won't be able to reach that high since I am nearly twice their height. I walk back to my home to talk to my friends. I talk to some on the phone, Others I talk to over the internet. Almost none seem to believe me. All except for my best friend that is. She believes because we've been friends for almost ten years. She's also had some strange things happen to her, but none as strange as this.

      A few days later, she comes over from her house not too far away, but just far enough to make travel difficult. I take her eagerly to the woods and show her the place where I found the Hobbits. I find my shoestring, tied carefully around a branch, just as I left it. I bend down and feel in the grass for the door, but cannot find it. I stomp on the ground, hoping to get some clue as to whether I was right or not, but still find nothing. My friend helps me in the search for the Hobbits, still believing that I had found them.

Short, but this is a story of firsts for me. I also have to find out if my friends would mind having their names mentioned or even be characters in the story. I'm also working on my story about Estel, too.


	2. Halcyon and Sherali Chickenfield

**Title:** Middle-Earth Meets Modern-Earth

**Disclaimers:** Some of the characters, all of the races and the Lord of the Rings series/concept in general belong to whichever Tolkien has the copyright. It only things I claim are my original characters and me. Even my friends don't belong to me, they belong to themselves.

**Note:** Some names have been changed to protect the innocent. Well, maybe not innocent…but names have still been changed. I'm also currently in the process of trying to find a good conflict, so there may not be much plot in the first few chapters.

Middle-Earth Meets Modern-Earth 

      Marion and I crawl around the trees on our hand and knees, still trying to find the door to the Hobbit-hole. It wasn't exactly like I had imagined them, but perhaps they've had to adapt somewhat. I find myself idly wondering if there are such things as Urban Hobbits. I wouldn't doubt that there are still Hobbits in the rural areas, and I seem to have found some suburban ones, but are there Hobbits in the city? I hear Marion call my name and crawl over to where she is.

      "I've found something," she says. I look at the ground and notice a metal ring. Its color is such that it would not be easily noticeable. I tug gently on it, but it doesn't give. I pull a little harder and I can hear something that sound like a lock rattling. I'm probably the one rattling it.

      I look around the area and notice that it seems very familiar. _This_ was the place I fell yesterday. So, the Hobbits _had_ been able to move my shoelace. I lean down and cup my hands around my mouth. I'm very close to the ground. "I know you're in there," I call. "I've seen you. You might as well come out."

      I feel a nudge in my side and look behind me. I grimace as I notice Chuck and Alex, two more of my friends. I hadn't been able to get a hold of them, yet, so they didn't know about the Hobbits.

      "What are you doing?" Chuck, the older one, asks.

      I stand up and shift uncomfortably. "Ummm…looking for Hobbits?" I offer, smiling hopefully.

      "Cool!" Alex replies. "Can I help?" I suppose now that it's a good thing he isn't the brighter of the two, either.

      "I guess," I reply. "We think we've found the hole, we're just trying to get them to come out." I point to the brownish ring laying on the ground.

      "Hobbits?" is all Chuck says. I know he's read the books. He even read them before I did.

      "Yeah. A couple days ago, I was trying to climb a tree, but I fell down. I heard a squeak, so I went and hid behind a tree, to see what it was. Then the ground opened and two hobbits came out."

      "You're sure it was Hobbits?"

      "Of course I'm sure!" I snap. "I'd recognize a Hobbit if I saw one. They were short and squat with hairy feet. They didn't wear any shoes and they live in a hole in the ground. What about that is not Hobbit? The man even had a pipe!" I was getting really exasperated by now. Usually, Chuck believed me, too, even if I hadn't known him for as long as I had known Marion. And Alex was just young and gullible enough to believe almost anything I told him. I suppose it helped that I didn't often tell them lies, either.

      "I suppose…" Chuck says. "So how do you plan to get them out? They're very shy and afraid of us."

      I think for a moment. "I'm not sure," I reply. "Maybe there's someway we could get them to trust us."

      "Why don't you just open the door?"

      _He didn't see us trying to open the door,_ I think. _He must have thought I was crazy talking to the ground like that._ "You try," I say, pointing to the ring once again. 

      He stepped forward and tugged on it, but it still didn't move. He stood back up. "Then why not unlatch it?

      "How do you propose to do that, _genius_?" I asked.

      I sighed as I heard another, perkier voice. "Hey, guys. What ya doin?" it asked. I closed my eyes. Richard had come. I should have expected it, of course, he follows Chuck and Alex almost everywhere. I half-expected their sisters, Michelle and Ruth to come, too. Richard was Chuck and Alex's younger brother. Well, he wasn't their brother yet, but soon.

      "Nothing, Rick…" I said, hoping to shake him, but he refused to go away.

      "Maybe we could dig through the ground until we can reach the lock," Alex suggests. I smile. Sometimes, he manages to get a good idea. Sometimes.

      "Just a sec," I say. I walk over to Rick. "Hey, Rick, can you run back to my house and get one of the small shovels?" I ask. I show him the size I mean with my hands because he's only in first grade. He nods once and runs off. I actually managed to accomplish two things: get a shovel and get Rick out of our hair for a little while. I just hoped that no one else would find out about this. News traveled quickly in such a small village. Especially among the children.

      A few minutes later, Rick comes back with the shovel in his hand. He hands it to me. "Here ya go," he says before sitting on the ground and watching with rapt attention. I wish he wouldn't, but I start digging anyway. Before I do, though, I rattle the lock one more time to find out where it is. I hope no one finds us as I get deeper into the ground. I try to stay close to the lock, so I don't disturb the hole too much. I finally manage to snake a finger into the hole I made and undo the lock.

      Chuck pulls on the door and it opens. We all peer down into the hole then back up at each other. "Who'll fit down there?" Marion finally ventures.

      I look at Rick. He's about the same height as a Hobbit, but a little smaller around the waist. He should fit down there. "Hey, Rick…" I say. "You want to go find the people?"

      "What kind of people?" he asks.

      "Umm…little people. Kind of like you, but older. They have curly hair and no shoes. And they have hair on their feet. They should be nice, but they're very shy."

      "Okay." He's a very agreeable child, usually. He clambers down the Hobbit-hole and we all sit around waiting for him. Finally, he climbs back up.

      "Well?" I ask.

      "They were nice people," he says. "They gave me some cookies."

      "Does that mean they like you?"

      "I guess so." He sat on the grass and munched on a cookie.

      "Did they tell you their names?"

      "Mmm hmm."

      "What were they?"

      Rick stumbled over the names. "Hal…sone…and Sher…ali."

      "Halsone and Sherali?" I ask. He thinks about it for a moment.

      "No. The first name doesn't sound right." He tries again. "Hal…see…on! That's what it was!"

      "Halcyon and Sherali?"

      "Yup. That's their names." 

      "Did they tell you their last names?" Chuck puts in.

      "Yup. It was Chickenfield."

      I just shook my head. I had often wondered how this piece of land got that name. I'd always heard that it was because there used to be a chicken farm there. I guess that it was just named after the Hobbits. Or the Hobbits were named after the land. I'm not sure which. This all seems like one big joke to me. What's going to happen next? Would we find some City-Hobbits called Syracuse? Or Camillus? I pull a piece of paper and a pencil out of my pocket and write a note on it. I hand it to Rick. "Hey, Rick," I say. "Go give this to Halcyon and Sherali."

      "Okay," he replies and climbs back down the Hobbit-hole. He comes back up a few minutes later with another piece of paper in his hand. He hands it to me and I read it. The writing was very delicate and beautiful, but still English. This is what it says:

                        _Dear Elizabeth,_

_                                    My wife and I give greetings back to you and your friends._

_                        We would very much like to meet you if you are at all like little_

_                        Richard here. We will meet you and some of your friends here to-_

_                        morrow at lunch-time. Noon sharp._

_                                    Sincerely,_

                                                Halcyon Chickenfield 

      I give a little squeal of excitement as I show the note to my friends. We all agree to meet there at noon tomorrow. We also agree to bring some food for a picnic. Then, we all go our separate ways. Marion and I got to my house; and Chuck, Alex, and Rick to their house.

Someone should really stop me before I get dangerous with this thing. ::brandishes the story idea like a weapon:: Anyway, there might be another chapter out soon.

Inside Joke: There really is a place near my house like the one I have described in here and it's really called the Chicken Field. And it had something to do with chickens on it. I thought my mom said it was a chicken farm, but I'm not sure. Also, don't mind the tense changes. It's very hard writing in first person and keeping a consistent tense, but I try. 


	3. Lunch-time with the Hobbits

**Title:** Middle-Earth Meets Modern-Earth

**Disclaimers:** I don not own any of the races or such in this story. The only things I claim as mine are myself and, possibly, the names of original characters.

**Note:** I think I have some idea of a plot, now. And if anyone from the Intrepid is reading this, thanks for all your great _serious_ story ideas. ::falls to the ground in a fit of laughter:: I'll have fun with them. ::tries to beat back all the plot bunnies:: On with the story…

Middle-Earth Meets Modern-Earth 

      I stand with Marion, Chuck, Alex, and Rick in my backyard. I open the bag hanging from my arm and show them the contents. "You think this will be enough?" I ask.

      Chuck looks closely at it. "Should be," he replies then looks at his watch. "We better get going. It's almost time."

      We walk to the chicken field and find the Hobbit-hole again. I set the bag on the ground and sit down next to it. I pull out my sketchpad and pencils as we wait for the Hobbits to come out. It's still only quarter of noon. Most of the others settle down to wait, too, but Rick decides to run around for a little while. After a few minutes, he gets bored and climbs down the hole. He's certainly made himself at home there.

      Right at the stroke of noon, Rick clambers back out of the hole, followed closely by the Hobbits. The two look around nervously, as if expecting monsters. I smile politely at them. Halcyon seems to calm down a little, but his wife is still jumpy. I open my bag and show them what's inside, they get very excited as they sit down for lunch with us. "Hello," I say to Halcyon. "I am Elizabeth."

      "You're the one that wrote to us?"

      "Yes. And these are my friends, Marion, Chuck, and Alex. You already know Rick."

      "Oh, yes. He's an interesting little fellow. Constantly moving."

      I smile. "Yup. That's Rick." 

      The Hobbits give me a strange look, but help us get lunch ready. We have a nice, peaceful lunch together. Afterwards, I offer to show the Hobbits my house. My parents are currently away and they don't pay much attention when I bring guests in. "Just a moment," they say and scramble back down into their hole.

      When they emerge again, I am surprised. They no longer look like Hobbits from Middle-Earth, but people from today's world. They have put on more modern clothes, shirts, jeans, and such. I look down at their feet. They've put on shoes! "Aren't those uncomfortable?" I ask.

      "Well, yes," Sherali replies, "but we must wear them if we don't want to be noticed among you humans."

      I smile. "You can take them off when we get to my house. It isn't far."

      They smile back and all seven of us head back to my house. I wonder if they've ever seen a computer and decide to show them mine. Somehow, we all managed to squeeze into the small room that holds my computer. Halcyon and Sherali crowd right in around the desk as I turn on the computer. I reach the Windows startup screen and the Hobbits screech and run to the other side of the room. I wonder what spooked them so much. I turn around to look at them.

      "What's wrong, guys?" I ask. 

      Halcyon points a trembling finger at the screen. "W-w-windows…" he stammers.

      "Yeah. What's wrong with it?"

      They just cling to each other and tremble in the corner.

Okay. I need some _serious_ help. This was _supposed_ to be a serious story, but I decided to ask my friends for story ideas. Good in some ways, but not in others. The ideas weren't bad, just silly. I think this has crossed the line from serious to silly. It is now, therefore, a humor story and I will change the genre accordingly.


	4. Meeting the Elves

**Title:** Middle-Earth Meets Modern-Earth

**Disclaimers:** I don't own Middle-Earth, Hobbits, Elves, my friends or anyone else that I may use in here, with the obvious exception of myself. And I don't own Microsoft, Bill Gates or Windows, either. And I'm not trying to say that I hate any of those things, it's just such a good story idea. I'm actually using Windows XP and loving it. And if the names of my original characters are the same as some of the names in the books that I haven't read or anyone else's original characters, it's just a coincidence. I don't usually try to steal names.

**Note:** This is now officially a humor story, but I'm still working the plot out as I go along. And please review if the fancy strikes you. I'll keep posting chapters, regardless, but it's nice to have honest feedback so that I can improve.

Middle-Earth Meets Modern-Earth 

      The Hobbits seem deathly afraid of my computer, so I turn it off. Once it's off, they stop trembling and move a little closer. "Why are you afraid of the computer?" I ask them.

      "I-it h-has W-w-windows," Sherali finally gets out.

      "What's wrong with Windows?" I ask. "I actually like it."

      They just turn to stare at each other with wide eyes. After a moment of this, they turn back to me. "Umm…we have to go now," Halcyon says and Sherali nods in agreement. They go downstairs and out the door. My friends and I watch them leave.

      After they are out of sight, I turn to my friends. "Who wants to play a game?"

      There is a chorus of affirmations and we all go back upstairs to play on the computer.

      The next day, I go back to see the Hobbits. I'm hoping that I can get some more information out of them. Like why they're so scared of Windows. I go to the woods and knock on their door. I even try shouting down to see if they're there. When I get no response, I go home again. I'll try back later.

      A few hours later, I look out my window and I see the two Hobbits, dressed like children this time, walking in front of seven taller people. I quickly slip on some shoes and walk out of the house, following behind them. I can't see the tall people very well, but they somehow look strange. Maybe it's the way they walk, but they just don't strike me as being quite right.

      I follow the group to the chicken field. The Hobbits lead the strange people towards the hole and I step into the grass. All the tall people spin around at almost the same time. I see that one or two are holding daggers and I step back a little with my hands up in front of me, palms out. The Hobbits rush around to the front of the group and look around. They spot me and turn back to the tall people.

      Halcyon and Sherali talk to their companions, but I can't hear what they say, I am still too far away. The people put away their daggers and the Hobbits motion for me to join them. I walk forward and get a better look at the people. I think my eyes are playing more tricks on me again. I am able to identify two of the people; Legolas and Elrond, but I don't recognize any of the others, even though I surmise that two of them are Elladan and Elrohir, Elrond's twin sons. To quote from a book: "Curiouser and curiouser." I couldn't believe what was happening.

      I think I finally understand how the people of Rohan felt when they met part of the Fellowship. All these legends and stories are coming alive before my very eyes. I follow the Hobbits back to their home, but we stay outside; partly because the Elves requested we stay outside and partly because they wouldn't all fit down the hole.

      Most of the Elves climb up into one of the many trees. The only ones that stay on the ground are Elrond and his sons. I try, again, to climb up into a tree, but again I fail. One of the Elves I don't recognize beckons me to his tree. "Come on up," he says.

      I start climbing again, but this time he grabs me and helps me up. "Thanks," I say as I sit on the branch next to him. I turn to look at him. "By the way, what's your name?"

      He bows his head and says, "I am Elcáron, my lady."

      "Being formal today, are we? Very well, I am called Elizabeth, my lord."

      "I? A lord? Surely you jest, lady."

      "Well, if you want to get technical, I'm not a lady, either."

      Elcáron smiles at me. "Point taken. What should you like to be called?"

      "Either Elizabeth or Liz works. How about you?"

      "I suppose I should be called Elcáron, since it _is_ my name."

      I look away from him and down to the ground. Elrond and his sons are talking to the Hobbits and I see Legolas jump down from his tree and walk over to them. A blond woman who was sitting in the next tree follows him. Then, one of Elrond's sons goes to a tree with another woman in it and climbs up to sit next to her. I look at Elcáron. "Who's that woman with Legolas?"

      He looks confused for a split second. "Oh, that's my mother."

      I look at him carefully. "And Legolas is your father?"

      He nods in affirmation. "I didn't know to whom you were referring at first. We do not usually call him by his name."

      "We?"

      He nods again. "Yes. My sister and I," he replies, pointing to the other woman, the one sitting with Elrond's son.

      "So, why are you here?"

      "Halcyon and Sherali e-mailed us. They said that they had something urgent to tell us. Or our parents, at least. I'm not sure why we had to come along, though."

      "E-mail?" I just can't believe all the things I'm hearing. The conceptions I have of these people are being shattered.

      "Oh, yes. Don't you know what e-mail is?"

      "Of course I do. I just didn't think you did."

      "Yes. We are not as old-fashioned as you humans might think…"

      "I'm beginning to find that out. Do you know why the Hobbits are afraid of Windows?"

      "Windows? Who has Windows?"

      "I do. Don't tell me you're afraid of it, too…"

      "Well, probably not as much as Halcyon and Sherali, but yes, I am a little scared of Windows."

      I'm really confused, now. "Why is everyone afraid of it? I don't see anything wrong."

      Elcáron leans close to my ear. "Because its evil," he whispers.

      I arch my eyebrows. This is getting more interesting all the time. Windows? Evil? I never would have thought of it like that. Well, sure, it can be a little annoying at times, but _evil_? I just shake my head and try to absorb what I've been told…

Okay, I think that I must be the only person who could take a humorous story idea and actually try to make it serious. I have no clue how to write humor, so please bear with me while I try my best.


	5. Introductions

**Title:** Middle-Earth Meets Modern-Earth

**Disclaimers: ** I do not own Windows, Bill Gates, Microsoft, LOTR, or anyone in this story except my O/Cs and myself.

**Note:** Woo hoo! ::dances around a little:: I've officially been writing for one year, all of it fan fiction! Sorry for the temporary insanity, I just had to get that out of my system. I don't really think there are any actual notes about the story, though, so I'll just tell it.

Middle-Earth Meets Modern-Earth 

      "Windows? Evil?" I ask. "How do you plot that course?"

      He just frowns at me. I giggle. "It means: How did you come to that conclusion," I explain.

      "Ah. I 'plotted that course' because we think Sauron has returned, but he can do nothing on his own. Instead, he has possessed the mind of a man, Bill Gates, and is using this man to take over the world."

      If it's even possible, my eyes open further than they were before and my eyebrows arch higher. "Take over the world?!"

      He winces a little and I remember about Elven ears. "Sorry," I whisper as he rubs his delicately pointed ears. I also notice that the rest of the Elves have turned to look at me. I smile sheepishly at them as they turn back to their conversation. Elrond doesn't look too happy, but he didn't look too happy in the movie either. Maybe it is just his nature.

      "How does he plan to do that?" I ask, calmer and more composed than before.

      Elcáron shakes his head. "I'm not sure. They haven't told us yet. I think they've only just found out about this themselves. They might not even know his plans yet." He whispered the last part very softly, so that he wouldn't be heard by the others.

      "What are you planning on doing about it?"

      "That's what we're here to decide," Elcáron tells me.

      I smile. This should be interesting. Perhaps I can get a chance to leave my little village and have some fun. With Elves, no less. I _have_ to go get Chuck and Alex. They would probably find this interesting. I turn to Elcáron. "Can you help me down?" I ask. "I have some friends I'd like you to meet."

      He smiles back and holds up one finger, signaling me to wait. I sit still as he slides from the branch and lands on the ground beneath me. "Jump off," he says. "I will catch you."

      I look at him doubtfully, but slide off the branch. Surprisingly enough, he does catch me and sets me gently on the ground. He takes my hand and my eyebrows rise in surprise. He smiles at me again. "I, too, would like to meet these friends of yours," he says.

      He disengages his hand and walks over to his parents, exchanging a few soft words with them before coming back to me and taking my hand. I lead him out of the chicken field and to Chuck's house. "Stay here," I tell him, walking up onto the porch. I knock on their door.

      It opens and I see Rick standing on the other side. "Can Chuck and Alex come out?" I ask him.

      "I'll go check," he says and runs to find his brothers. He comes back a few moments later with Chuck close behind him. Chuck doesn't look very happy.

      "I can't come out," he tells me. I sigh in frustration.

      "Can I come in, then?"

      "I think so. Just a second." He walks away, but comes back again looking happier. "Yeah, you can come in."

      I step inside and we go to the  dining room table. Rick joins us and I can see Alex through the doorway to the kitchen, doing dishes. I lean closer to Chuck. "How'd you like to go on an adventure?"

      He frowns and looks around us. "But you didn't bring any of your stuff," he says.

      "Not that kind of adventure," I reply, rolling my eyes. "I mean a real adventure. There are Elves in the chicken field right now. Someone's trying to take over the world and I bet they're here to prevent that from happening."

      His eyes widen. "Elves? I suppose I should have expected it after the Hobbits, but still…" he shakes his head.

      "There's one right outside. Are you allowed on the porch?"

      "Sure. Why?"

      "Come on," I reply, grabbing his arm. I pull him onto the porch and stick my head out the door. Elcáron is crouching behind the bushes in front of their house. "What are you doing there?" I whisper.

      "Some people came and I didn't wish to be seen," the Elf explains.

      "Well, come up here. I've got one of my friends up here."

      Elcáron stands up and walks up the steps. He looks at Chuck and Chuck looks at him. "Chuck, meet Elcáron. Elcáron, Chuck," I say by way of introduction. Elcáron nods while Chuck just stares.

      "I don't believe it…" Chuck mutters. "I just don't believe it…"

      "What is it you do not believe?" Elcáron enquires.

      "That you're here. You're supposed to be fictional," Chuck answers.

      "I can assure you that I am, most definitely, not fictional. Nor are my parents, sister, friends, or people." 

      At this point, Rick decides to join us. "Whoa…" Rick whispers as he stares up at the Elf. "Who are you?"

      I sigh. "Rick, this is Elcáron. Elcáron, this is Chuck's brother, Rick."

      To my surprise, Elcáron crouches down in front of Rick. "Hello, Rick," he says. "How are you?"

      "I'm good," Rick replies. "How about you, Lecorran?"

      The Elf smiles. "Elcáron, my name is Elcáron."

      Rick tries again to pronounce the strange name. "Eelcarone."

      "Close enough," Elcáron says as he ruffles Rick's shaggy hair.

      "So…when do you get off?" I ask Chuck. Both of us know what I mean. 

      "Not for a couple weeks yet," he replies, looking disappointed.

      I flash him a mischievous smile. "Too bad, because there are some pretty famous Elves in the chicken field."

      "Like who?" he asks, an eager look on his face.

      I wonder how many of them he would recognize. He should at least remember two of them from the book. "Legolas, Elrond, Elladan, and Elrohir," I tell him. "Plus Elcáron's mother and sister."

      Chuck curses softly. "I really wish I could come," he says. "Do you think they'll still be here when I get off?"

      I purse my lips. "I'm not sure…" I tell him. "They might be, but I wouldn't count on it."

      Then Elcáron took my hand. "We should be getting back," he told me. "The adults might wonder where we are."

      I frowned for a moment as he tugged me out the door, then waved to Chuck. _He refers to the others as if he was not yet an adult himself,_ I think. A question burns in the back of my mind, but I keep quiet until some later time.

 Okay. For those of you who can't see the special characters above the letters, here is a list of all the Elven names without the special characters.  
Lilanor, Elcaron, and Ceresal. I will probably be using these names with the special characters in the story.

Also, I'm not exactly sure what happened to Sauron because I haven't finished reading the books. I also haven't read the Silmarillion all the way through, so I'm not sure what happened to Morgoth, the bad guy before Sauron rose to power. I may end up using Morgoth instead of Sauron

Sorry this chapter took so long to get out, but several things conspired to keep me from writing. Holidays…hospitals…writer's block…the usual. I still have writer's block and it seems to be a big one, too. I'm currently seeking help for it. Hopefully, I'll have that little plot wrinkle ironed out soon.


	6. The Journey Begins

**Title:** Middle-Earth Meets Modern-Earth

**Disclaimers:** Come on…haven't you figured this out by now? The only things I claim ownership of are my original characters and myself.

Middle-Earth Meets Modern-Earth 

      I am woken up by the sound of knocking on my window. I roll over and look at my clock. Five in the morning? Who would be at my window at this ungodly hour? And how did they get there? I grab a nightgown and pull it over my head, walking towards my window. I open the blinds and nearly fall over in surprise. Elcáron is crouched on the porch roof, peering at me intently with his blue eyes. I open up the inside window. "What are you doing here?" I hiss.

      "It's almost time to go," he replies softly. "Are you ready?"

      "Time to go where?" I ask, trying to clear the cobwebs from my brain.

      "On our journey," he replies.

      "Journey?" I'm still trying desperately to make sense of everything.

      "Yes. To save the world." At this point, I figure that I _must_ be dreaming.

      "Right…" I say. "I'm going to go back to bed now, wake up, and you'll be gone," I tell him as I walk backwards. I lie back down and try to forget about the Elf at my window. A few minutes later, I turn over and he's still there. "Why are you still here? You're just a dream. You should have gone away by now," I mumble at him.

      He just continues to stare at me, the light from the streetlamps reflecting in his eyes. "Fine," I grumble. "I'll come with you, but why so early?"

      "We leave when the sun rises."

      My head reels slightly as I pull out my small suitcase and throw in some clothes, stuffing it a full as I can. Then I grab my backpack and start stuffing it with things, too. When I'm all packed, I get ready to change and realize that Elcáron is still outside my window. I walk back up to the window. "Excuse me," I say as I pull the blinds shut. I get dressed and walk back over to the window, pulling the blinds up. I look outside and Elcáron is on the edge of the roof, dangling his feet over the edge. "I'm ready," I whisper.

      He turns and crawls over the tiles to the window again. "How did you get up here?" I ask.

      "I climbed up the tree," he replies, gesturing towards the dying tree in our front yard.

      I shake my head. "Whatever…" I mumble. "Just be careful getting down."

      He starts to climb down the roof, but I stop him. "Where should I meet you?" I ask.

      "In the chicken field, I think you called it."

      I nod then get an idea. "Hey, could you go wake Chuck up? I'd like him to come, too."

      He frowns. "Isn't he in trouble?"

      I just shrug. Elcáron sighs. "Very well. I will come back with Chuck. Now go."

      I smile. "Thanks," I say as I close the window and walk downstairs. I put my sneakers on and put my sandals on the front of my backpack before heading out the door. 

      It's still dark out, but I can see just a hint of light on the eastern horizon. As I walk past Chuck's house, I can see Elcáron on the roof of their porch. I truly have no idea how he got there because they do not have a large tree in their front yard. I continue to the chicken field and find the Elves and the Hobbits ready for travel.

      I look around, but don't see any cars or anything. I walk up to Elrond, somehow not truly believing that he's there. "Excuse me, sir," I say, He looks at me somewhat curiously. "Do we have any sort of transportation?" I ask.

      He nods. "Of course," he replies. "Otherwise it would take forever." I sigh in relief and start to walk away as he adds, "I've brought some bicycles with us."

      My head drops at the thought of riding a bicycle that far. I actually wish we had horses right now. They don't require as much effort on the rider's part.

      Soon, Elcáron shows up with not one, but two people in tow. Apparently, Alex decided to follow Chuck. _At least Rick isn't here,_ I think. That would definitely be interesting; having a 6 year old come with us to save the world…

      I almost laugh at the thought. Legolas wheels the bikes out from their hiding place and we realize that we are two short. "Go get your bikes," I tell Chuck and Alex. I mount the bike that one of the twins gives me. As we meet Chuck and Alex, I see that the sun is just starting to peek over the horizon. Just as we're about to go down the hill, we hear the sound of another bike coming up behind us. I turn around and my fears are confirmed: Rick did decide to follow us. I slow down to pull beside him.

      "Go home," I say to him.

      He shakes his head of shaggy hair. "No. I want to come with you."

      "Flattering, I'm sure, but this will be long and hard and probably dangerous."

      "So?"

      "So you should stay home with your mom."

      "No. I'm coming with you guys."

      By now, the rest of the group has turned to look our way. Chuck and Alex are shaking their heads. Elcáron gets off his bike and walks up to Rick. He whispers something that only Rick can hear and Rick gets off the bike and runs home.

      "Thanks, Elcáron," I say.

      He smiles mischievously. "I wouldn't thank me, yet…" he says. I am immediately suspicious. A few minutes later, Rick comes back without his bike. "Ready?" Elcáron says as he crouches on the ground.

      Rick nods and climbs onto Elcáron's back. Legolas shoots his son a disapproving glare as Elcáron climbs back onto his bike.

      We ride down the hill and onto Main Street, Rick still clutching onto Elcáron's back. We reach the middle of the village and I turn left onto Newport Road. Everyone stops to look at me. "What?" I ask.

      "Why are you going that way?" Legolas asks.

      "Because I'm going to get Marion," I reply.

      "Why?" Halcyon asks.

      "I think she'd like this," I reply. "She's always up for an adventure and she could last longer than Chuck, Alex, Rick, and I put together."

      All the Elves and Hobbits turn to look at Legolas. I wonder if he's the leader of this little expedition.

      Finally, he nods his head slowly. "She can come," he says. The rest of them turn and follow me to Marion's house…

Okay. I've avoided my blank area again, but I have two requests.

First: Does anyone know where Microsoft HQ is?

Second: Can you please help me by giving me ideas on how Windows could be used to take over the world? I will at least consider any ideas I get and give credit where it's due.

Thank you.


End file.
